sullivan



Jan. 24, 1956 su v 2,731,812

COMBINED ORNAMENTAL CHARM AND HOUSING Filed April 13, 1953 INVENTOR. G. DEWEY SULLIVAN ATTO RIVE Y CGMBINED ORNAMENTAL CHARM AND HOUSING George Dewey Sullivan, New York, N. Y.

Application April 13, 1953, Serial No. 348,314-

4 Claims. (Cl. 63-23) The present invention relates to articles of jewelry, and more particularly to a combined ornamental charm and housing particularly advantageous for ornately hiding one or more pictures.

Charms are available for bracelets which simulate a variety of objects, including fanciful representations of the world. With the recent wide-spread adoption of relatively large size charms, it has become feasible to use a charm for a dual purpose, namely its ornamental value per se, and for attractively storing therein one or more articles.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and ornate charm serving as a storage housing for one or more articles to be periodical 1y made accessible for display.

it is a further object of the present invention to provide a bipartite charm simulating a globe which may be opened for the purposes of making accessible the contents thereof, yet does not detract from its general ornamentation.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bipartite spherical housing simulating the Earth which is separable in an equatorial plane and stores therein one or more articles rendered accessible and visible upon separation of the spherical halves. As a specific feature, the stored articles may be mount members carrying photographs of family or friends of the charm wearer, the photographs being actual pictures fixed on the mount members, or reproductions of pictures on members fabricated of photographically sensitized metals.

As a further aspect of the invention, the separable globe sections are framed within an annular frame serving as further ornamentation and functionally permitting releasable locking of the spherical sections in closed and cooperating relation.

In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, the globe-like housing may be mounted within the framing and locking ring or member for axial rotation about its polar axis to thereby further contribute to the value of the housing as an ornamental charm without interfering with the storage of mount members or the like therein.

The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the description of a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the specific description pointing out the exact and complete manner in which I have made a patentable advance in the arts and sciences. The description will be best understood by reference to the drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a combined ornamental charm and storage housing embodying features of the present invention and shown in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the combined charm and housing of Fig. 1 shown open and with the parts laid out in end-to-end relation;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the details of the cooperating catch on the framing ring and body of the charm;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 2, the charm being illustrated in a partially closed position by the phantom lines; and,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detail similar to Fig. 3 showing a modified form of the present invention.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, there is shown a combined ornamental charm and storage housing 10 adapted to be supported on a charm bracelet or the like and fabricated of precious or semi-precious material. Specifically, the charm it) includes a bipartite housing 112 having hemispherical sections 12a, 12b separable about an equatorial plane 14 at which opposed annular edges of the sections 12a, 12b abut and meet.

Interconnecting the hemispherical sections 12a, 12b, is a hinge 16 lying substantially along the equatorial or meeting plane 14 and joining the sections together for swinging movement relative to each other, from the closed position of Fig. 1 to the completely open position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4.

Surrounding the bipartite body or housing 12 is a lock ring or annular framing member 18 which is pivotally mounted on the housing section 12b for movement from the operative position of Fig. 1 wherein the lock ring 18 lies in a meridian plane substantially normal to the equatorial plane 14. The mount for swingably supporting the lock ring 18 includes a swivel ring 2th dependingly supported by a stub shaft or rivet 21 on the housing section 12b and seated between stop flanges 22, 24 fixed to or formed integrally with the ring 18 on opposite sides of the swivel ring 20. The stop members 22, 24 cooperate with the swivel 26) to mount the lock ring for swinging movement into and out of the meridian plane as illustrated in Fig. 1 to a clearance position wherein the housing sections 12a, 12b are easily separable for access to their interior.

In order to detachably secure the ring 18 in the mepart 26a relieved and opening toward one side, there-' by permitting the lock ring to be swung in one direction from the clearance position into a position of engagement with the latch dog 26. The seating part includes a raised leading edge over which the ring 18 passes to arrive at the releasably locked position of Fig. 3.

Received within the hemispherical sections 12a, 12b

are a pair of mounting members 22%, 3t) interconnected by an intermediate hinge 32 and pivotally supported as a unit on the hemispherical section 12a by a further hinge 34. As shown by the broken lines of Fig. 4, the mounting members or plates 28, 3% are adapted to be brought into superposed position, one above the other and nested within the housing 12 formed by the cooperating hemispherical sections 12a, 12b. The mounting members 28, 35) are circular and have an outer diameter somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the spherical sections adjacent the meeting plane 14 to permit the storage of the superposed memberswithin the housing in substantially the equatorial plane. Although not shown, one or more surfaces of each of 9 the mounting members 28, 30 is to carry a photograph, applied either by adhering a photograph to a face of the mounting member and coating with a protective lacquer or the like, or when the charm is fabricated of a precious metal, such as gold, by sensitizing the gold and printing directly thereon from the negative of the photograph.

For the purpose of achieving perfect. registry of the hemispherical sections 12a, 12b of the housing 12 with respect to each other when brought into the closed position of Fig. l, the opposed annular meeting edges of the sections are provided with interengaging guides, such as the projecting lug 36a on the section 12a receivable within the complementary recess 36b on the section 12b. Although not clearly shown, the guide lug or finger 36a has convergent sides substantially complementary to the sides of the complementary guide recess 36b to cam the spherical halves into perfect registry to meet along a continuous unbroken peripheral surface.

For the purposes of suspending the bracelet from a charm or the like, an eyelet 36 is fixed to the lock ring 1%; above the locking dog 26 and carries a circular link 38 by which the charm is mounted on the bracelet.

In use, the charm, after having the pictures placed on the mounting members 28, 30, either photographically or mechanically, is suspended from a bracelet or the like by the linkage or ring 38, whereupon the charm provides an attractively ornate housing for the stored members 23, 30. When it is desired to expose the pictures to view, the separable housing 12 may be freed to open by disengaging the cooperating portions of the lock ring 13 from the curved seat 2611 of the locking dog 26. As seen in Fig. 3, this may be accomplished by displacing the housing section 12a to the left, While holding the lock ring 18 stationary or displacing same to the right. Thereupon, the respective mounting members 28, 3% may be made accessible for viewing the pictures on one or both faces thereof.

To once again close the charm, it is merely necessary to bring the mounting members 23, 3% into the superposed position, lying within the housing along the equatorial plane and to thereupon swing the housing from the partially closed position, illustrated in phantom in Fig. 4 to the completely closed position of Fig. 1.

In Fig. 5 there is shown a modified form embodying further features of the present invention in which the bipartite housing 12 is mounted for rotation about its polar axis. This is accomplished by providing a rotatable journal for the swivel 20 supported by the stub shaft or rivet 21 on the section 12b, and a rotatable joint at the cooperating latch dog 26' and lock ring 18. The stub shaft or rivet 21 is loosely extended through the supporting section 12b, and as seen in Fig. 3 is constrained against axial displacement by its head 21a and flanges 21b to provide one polar journal. The other rotatable support is provided by a depending stub 40 on the lock ring 18' engageable within the modified latch dog 26'. The stub 40 is arranged to frictionally contact the underlying shallow seat 26a in a limited area to assure latching of the lock ring 18 in the operative position, yet allows for rotation of the housing 12 about the polar axis defined by rivet 21 and stub 40.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the article disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

What I claim is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an ornamental housing comprising a pair of hollow hemispherical sections meeting in an equatorial plane, said sections when together defining a sphere having an axis lying in a meridian plane and terminating at opposite poles, hinge means at said equatorial plane of said housing and mounting said sections for swinging movement, a lock ring pivotally supported at the pole of one of said sections and movable to an operative position surrounding said sections and substantially in said meridian plane, cooperating releasable catch means on said ring and at the pole of the other of said sections and engaged when said ring is in said operative position for locking said sections together and for maintaining said ring in said operative position, and plural picture-carrying elements hingedly interconnected for extension into end to end alignment, said elements being arrangeable in stacked formation for storage within said hollow housing.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an ornamental housing comprising a pair of hollow hemispherical sections meeting along opposed edges in an equatorial plane, said sections when together in a closed position defining a sphere having an axis lying in a meridian plane and terminating at opposite poles, cooperating means on said opposed edges for guiding said sections into registering relation upon movement into said closed position, hinge means at said equatorial plane of said housing and mounting said sections for swinging movement, a lock ring pivotally supported at the pole of one of said sections and movable to an operative position surrounding said sections and substantially in said meridian plane, cooperating catch means on said ring and at the pole of the other of said sections and engaged when said ring is in said operative position for locking said sections together in said closed position and for maintaining said ring in said operative position, and plural picture-carrying elements hingedly interconnected for extension into end to end alignment, said elements being arrangeable in stacked formation for storage within said hollow housing.

3. As a new article of manufacture, an ornamental housing comprising a pair of hollow hemispherical sections meeting in an equatorial plane, said sections when together defining a sphere having a polar axis lying in a meridian plane and terminating at opposite poles, hinge means at said equatorial plane of said housing and mounting said sections for swinging movements, a lock ring pivotally supported at the pole of one of said sections and movable to an operative position surrounding said sections and substantially in said meridian plane, cooperating releasable catch means on said ring and at the pole of the other of said sections and engaged when said ring is in said operative position for locking said sections together and for maintaining said ring in said operative position, plural picture-carrying elements hingedly interconnected for extension into end to end alignment, said elements being arrangeable in stacked formation for storage within said hollow housing, and means on said housing and said ring mounting said housing for rotation with in said ring about said polar axis.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an ornamental housing comprising a pair of hollow hemispherical sections meeting in an equatorial plane, said sections when together defining a sphere having an axis lying in a meridian plane and terminating at opposite poles, hinge means at said equatorial plane of said housing and mounting said sections for swinging movement to an open position, a lock ring piivotally supported at the pole of one of said sections and movable to an operative position surrounding said sections and substantially in said meridian plane, cooperating catch means on said ring and at the pole of the other of said sections and engaged when said ring is in said operative position for locking said sections together and for locking said ring in said operative position, a plurality of picture-carrying elements arranged within said housing and extensible from within said housing when the sections of said housing are unlocked and swung apart, means interconnecting said picture-carrying elements, and further means fixedly connecting said picture-carrying elements to one of the sections of said housing for storage within said housing in its closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 286,545 Knapp Oct. 9, 1883 6 Faulkner Nov. 8, 1892 Miller Oct. 21, 1902 Donle Mar. 13, 1951 Chalikian July 6, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Nov. 1, 1915 Switzerland Aug. 15, 1951 

